It's All in the Timing
by thedaltonwriter
Summary: TiMER AU. What if you had a timer that counted down to the moment you met your soul mate? Kurt's been waiting to find his soul mate and his happily ever after all his life. Things don't turn out quite when his soul mate turns out to be the snarky, arrogant Sebastian Smythe.
1. Prologue

**Rating**: M (future chaps)

**Summary**: TiMER AU. What if you had a timer that counted down to the moment you met your soul mate? Kurt's been waiting to find his soul mate and his happily ever after all his life. Things don't turn out quite when his soul mate turns out to be the snarky, arrogant Sebastian Smythe.

**Warnings**: AU obviously. Brief mentions to previous Klaine within the chapter.

0 - 0 - 0

Kurt can still remember when he got his TiMER. He remembers the disappointment that came with it being blank. He remembers waking up each morning and staring at it, hoping for a change. He remembers zoning out in classes, watching it intently, not wanting to miss the moment his soul mate got his TiMER.

With high school came the bullying. Kurt never could decide which was worse: feeling like a punching bag or feeling invisible. His only hope was that his TiMER would save him. Waiting became an obsession. The only thing that made high school bearable was the thought that his soul mate was out there.

Somewhere.

It had been Burt's idea to cover up the TiMER. Kurt couldn't argue with him when he said the he could see the way it was eating at Kurt, becoming his life. There were people who had lost their lives waiting for their TiMER to start, and Burt said he wasn't going to let Kurt become one of them.

So, his TiMER had been wrapped up, and Kurt tried to stop thinking about it. It wasn't much later that he transferred to Dalton, and, when he did, he was able to move on, little by little. That primarily had to do with Blaine Anderson. Blaine Anderson – the gorgeous boy without a TiMER. Kurt's was convinced that Blaine was his one from the moment he saw him.

Kurt couldn't understand why Blaine didn't have a TiMER, and why he didn't want one. Blaine couldn't understand why Kurt was letting a machine dictate who he was with. It wasn't until they'd been dating for a year that Blaine finally agreed to get one.

Kurt also remembers the moment his TiMER stayed blank. Blaine's, on the other hand, beeped and came to life: 622 days, 14 hours, 22 minutes, and 23 seconds.

22 seconds.

21 seconds.

Blaine had given him a sad look – "this is what I was afraid of, Kurt. For the first time in Kurt's life, he decided that maybe the TiMER was wrong. If there was anything he was sure of, it was that he was in love with Blaine, and that was the only thing that mattered.

A part of him still worried that Blaine would find his match and leave. The more Kurt thought about it, the more certain he was. TiMERs had a guarantee. How was Blaine supposed to avoid falling in love? He was going to meet his soul mate in less than two years. It began to seem pointless dating Blaine if he was just going to get hurt.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise when Blaine broke up with him, yet it still did.

"You stopped trusting me when we weren't matches. This is why I didn't want to get a TiMER. You trust some stupid implant more than what you feel, and I can't take it anymore, Kurt. I can't watch you throw what we have away because you're convinced that I'm going to fall in love with someone else. I can't do it. I just can't. I'm sorry."

After that, time moved as if someone hit the fast-forward button. His joy in finding out he was accepted to NYADA was stunted by the fact that all it made him think of was the future he'd planned with Blaine – the one he'd stopped believing in a long time ago. Even his position as an intern at Vogue doesn't bring him as much joy as it should. Instead of living with Blaine, he moved in with Rachel, and he was back to step one: obsession with the TiMER.

KSKSKSKS

"I mean, I know that Brody's not _the_ one, but he's really sweet, and he sings so well. Besides, I have a solid few months until I meet my soul mate. It's not like I'd be doing much with him. Of course, I'm saving my first time for my soul mate, but a little kissing never hurt anyone. Right? Kurt?"

Kurt glances up at Rachel nudges him. "Yeah, definitely," he mumbles out, stifling a yawn.

"It does… ?" From Rachel's confused tone of voice, Kurt knows he picked the wrong answer.

"No, it doesn't," Kurt says.

"You weren't paying attention at all, were you?"

"We were talking about Brody, right?"

"What was the last thing I said?"

"'You weren't paying attention at all, were you?'" Kurt repeats, earning a glare from Rachel. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. "No, I wasn't. I'm sorry. Look, it's been a long day. Besides, Rach, I love you, but I can only listen to so much about this guy."

Rachel lets out a huff but nods. "Fine." As Kurt grabs his coffee and sips to fill the silence, Rachel's expression softens. "So, what's new with you? Anything new on the TiMER front?"

"I think I'm finally getting close to perfecting _Mein Herr_. And, no, Rachel, it's still blank. Just like it was earlier today." Kurt leans back in his chair and crosses his legs. "God, I miss Blaine."

"I thought you two were working at becoming friends again?"

"We're trying. It's hard. You don't date someone for over two years and have things go back to how they used to be just like that." He snaps his fingers and sighs. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"I'm sure your TiMER will go off soon enough. By the way, are we still going shopping?" Rachel sips at her coffee and raises her eyebrows.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea right now. C'mon." Before Rachel can put in a word of protest, Kurt stands up and moves towards the exit, his fingers tightening around the cardboard sleeve on his coffee cup.

Twenty minutes later, they're standing in Macy's, and Rachel's looking jewelry. Kurt taps his foot impatiently, glancing around. Macy's doesn't have the worst choice of clothing, but the jewelry section seems ridiculous. As he turns over a, multi-colored, diamond-studded brooch with the word "LOVE" written across it, he winces and wonders who would buy something like that. He places it back on the shelf, holding it further away from him with two fingers, as if it might infect him.

He's barely put it down before there's a tap on his shoulder. "Excuse me. I was wondering whether you knew where the ties and bow ties are," a voice asks.

Kurt turns around to see a boy about his age, dressed in a blue button up and jeans. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he looks down at Kurt with a look of impatience. Even with his arms crossed, Kurt can see that he doesn't have a TiMER. He cocks an eyebrow, and clears his throat. "Well?"

"I don't work here," Kurt says after a beat, turning back to the jewelry.

"Of course you do," the boy replies as if he knows Kurt better than himself. Kurt lets out a huff and clenches his jaw.

"No, I don't."

"You fit the type, princess."

"Oh?" Kurt's voice is clipped, and he hopes that the boy will get the clue and drop the conversation, but he just continues.

"Girlish, acting like you have a stick up your ass, and dressed like someone out of a fashion catalogue for men in their thirties." The boy's lips quirk upwards as if he's amused by himself, and he wets his lips.

Kurt bristles. "Third floor and to your left." Without another word, he turns around and starts looking at other jewelry.

"What?"

"Your ties and bow ties. Now, fuck off."

"Language, princess," the boy says, shaking his head. "It doesn't suit a fine lady such as yourself."

It's been a while since anyone's poked at his personality. Lima was full of closed-minded homophones. New York, on the other hand, is not. "And you're still talking," Kurt says, speeding up as he walks around a glass case, staring down at the rings.

"Are you looking for a ring for your girlfriend?"

"Are you looking for one for yours? I've heard gay guys have the best fashion advice," Kurt says, facing the boy and feigning excitement for a moment before glaring and turning around yet again.

"Good thing I'm gay, then."

Kurt pauses, his brow furrowing. "You're gay?"

"Well, I like to fuck men. Call it what you will," the boy answers, and Kurt cringes at the crudeness. The boy inches forward.

Kurt would say that he's kidding, but the boy looks serious. It doesn't make sense to Kurt why someone who was gay would make fun of him for being effeminate, but he doesn't know what to say.

"_You're_ gay?" Kurt asks again after a moment.

"Not all of us need to look the part, babe. Some people were born better looking. What can you do?" He shrugs and smirks.

"You think you're better looking than I am?" Part of Kurt knows that he should stop arguing with the boy; he's hopelessly arrogant, and a little argument with some stranger isn't about to change that. Another part of him can't help but argue.

"Is that really a question?" He rolls his eyes and looks over at the escalators.

"Fine. Whatever. Go. Take your delusions with you."

"Aww, are you hurt?" The boy's voice immediately drops to a coo, as if he is talking to a no-brained puppy.

"Not even a little bit."

"Shame." The boy finally goes to turn and walk away, but, as he's doing it, he pauses. "Sebastian Smythe, by the way."

"Why are you telling me your name?"

"Well, you're going to want to know my name later when you're jacking off." He winks. "See you later, princess," the boy says and struts off. By the time Kurt can even think of a proper response, it's far too late.

"Who was that?"

Kurt turns around to see Rachel standing there, a small Macy's bag now in one of her hands. She tilts her head to the side.

"He's just some asshole who thought I worked here."

"He really rubbed you the wrong way, huh?" Rachel's eyes dart around before the two of them start heading towards the exit.

"You could say that, yeah."

"Well, you won't have to worry about seeing him again, at least. New York City's huge." Rachel shrugs before pulling out a small box from her bag. She draws out a diamond necklace and looks down at it. "Don't you love it?"

"It's not my taste," Kurt says as he crinkles his nose. "It's a bit gaudy." He coughs, and Rachel smacks his arm.

"It is not! It's elegant."

"If you say so." If there's anything Kurt's learned over the years, it's that there's no point in arguing with Rachel. Besides, they've always disagreed on fashion, even if Rachel has been getting better since moving to New York.

"I do. What did you need?"

"I needed a tan scarf to go with one of my outfits. I'd prefer not just plain tan, though," Kurt says, moving out of the jewelry section and towards the scarves and hats. He spends twenty minutes looking through all of them. There's one that he finds with a nice pattern, but it's not the right quality – "I didn't come here to buy a polyester scarf that's going to start fraying at the edges."

In the end, he finds a tan and brown striped scarf that he likes, made of cashmere. It's a bit more costly than he hoped for, but he buys it anyway. On their way out, they pass the bow ties and ties, and Kurt can't help but think about that boy. He snorts and shakes his head, wondering how anyone could act like that.

He can't help but wonder and pity whoever his one is. For the sake of everything else, Kurt hopes that boy never gets a TiMER.

KSKSKSKS

Kurt walks into work exhausted. He stayed up last night watching _Sex in the City_. It's been difficult to get to sleep recently. As he sits himself down at his desk, he glances at his TiMER. Even though he already knows that it's going to be the same – he never heard the beep of it starting – his stomach still drops in disappointment.

"I have a surprise for you tomorrow."

Kurt looks up to see Isabelle beaming at him. "Oh? What is it?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, but I'm thinking it should cheer you up." She taps the bottom of Kurt's chin and sits at the edge of the desk. "You've been looking down lately."

It's hard to talk with Isabelle about it. Her TiMER says that she still has eight years, so it seems selfish to complain. Instead, Kurt shrugs. "I've just had trouble sleeping." It's true; he just excludes the reason.

"Darling, you just need to have a little fun. There's a party next weekend. Nothing too serious. Just a little soiree. You're officially invited." She grins before getting up. "I should go back. I just wanted to let you know of your little present."

Kurt watches her walk out and opens his laptop and pulling on his headset. There's an e-mail in his inbox from Blaine, and he scans over it.

_Dear Kurt,_

_I'm sorry it's taken me two weeks to get back to you. I've been busy with school. I'm going to New York over winter holidays, which is kind of far away, but if you're up for it then, I wouldn't mind grabbing a cup of coffee with you._

_Seen any Broadway plays? Any luck with your TiMER yet?_

_All the best,_

_Blaine._

Kurt's stomach drops. Talking to Blaine is like talking to a stranger. He remembers staying up until four in the morning, talking about anything and everything with Blaine. Fears, insecurities, hopes, desires – nothing was taboo with them. And now it was like talking to a distant relative. He stares at the messages a moment longer, hoping that some hidden text will appear, something reminiscent of the past Blaine, but nothing does.

He exits out and shakes his head. He'll reply to it later. Now he needs to focus.

KSKSKSKS

When Kurt comes to work the next day, he's curious about what his surprise is. He has no clue what Isabelle could get him, probably some sort of article of clothing. To be fair, he's always found shopping and clothes therapeutic.

However, there's no package on his desk, and Isabelle doesn't come waltzing into his office like she did yesterday. Kurt puts on his headset and goes to work, wondering when she was going to show up. As the day passes, he can't help but think that maybe the gift was made up.

It isn't until six o'clock that there's a knock on his door. Kurt looks up to see Isabelle beaming at him. "I'm sorry it took so long. He's running a little late, but that's okay." She waves her hands about in excitement, and Kurt's brow furrows.

"He?" Several possibilities run through his head. Is Isabelle trying to set him up with someone? What's the guy doing here, and is it even appropriate? "I don't – You know how I feel about all of this. I need some space before I date anyone."

"Date?" Isabelle looks momentarily confused before laughing. "Oh, no! I'm setting you up. He's quite hot, though." She nudges Kurt. "It's more something… fun. I got you a job working with a new model of ours. He's a little arrogant, but, then again, which models aren't?"

A flush spreads across Kurt's face. He feels silly for assuming. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed." He cleared his throat. "When do I get to meet him?"

"Now. He's waiting in another room," she says, lifting her shoulders up as she continues to grin.

Kurt gets up, following Isabelle down the halls. Obviously, she's excited about this new plan. Part of Kurt can't help but wonder whether the model has a TiMER. It's silly to think that, but if what Isabelle's saying is true, they have a chance at working well together. And if he doesn't…

Isabelle stops in front of a closed door. "Are you ready?"

With a tired smile, Kurt nods. He can't help but hold his breath, hoping. His eyes flicker down to his wrist for a brief moment before the door opens.

"Kurt, meet Sebastian Smythe."


	2. Chapter One

"He's supposed to be my model?" Kurt shakes his head, stepping out of the room and taking a shaky breath. "There's no way in hell that I'm working with that –"

"Now, princess, we talked about your language," Sebastian says with a wink.

Kurt just glares. His hands bunch up at his sides before he looks at Isabelle, who's is glancing between the two of them, confused.

"I take it that you two know each other," she says after a moment, clearing her throat.

"Unfortunately," Kurt says, running his tongue over his teeth and groaning.

"By that, he means _intimately_." Sebastian smirks.

"Oh – Are you two exes?" Isabelle looks embarrassed, and she puts her hand up to her face, looking worried.

"No, and we don't know each other _intimately_," Kurt replies, his eyes narrowing as Sebastian winks at him again. "We ran into each other at Macy's. He thought I worked there."

"To be fair, you dress like it, babe?" Sebastian says with a shrug.

"Could you stop it with the nicknames?" Kurt puts his finger to his temple and runs his fingers in a circle. He's not sure how he's supposed to work with Sebastian. Maybe – he hopes – he can find a way out of it.

"Nah, I think I'll pass," Sebastian says, looking more and more self-satisfied as the conversation runs on.

"I'm still… confused. Am I missing something between the two of you?" Isabelle asks, gesturing and waving her hands about. "It sounds like you two have known each other for longer."

"We're practically best friends," Sebastian says, moving over and slinging an arm around Kurt's waist. He squeezes him tight, pulling him closer. Kurt's arms reflexively go up, and he tenses. There's something about the situation that makes him uncomfortable. He almost preferred it when Sebastian had been making fun of him.

"Am I really supposed to work with him?" Kurt asks, hoping that his wide eyes show how desperate he is to do anything other than that. Unfortunately, even if Isabelle gets what he's getting at, and she sighs and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry. He's contracted, and I already had to ask my boss. I don't know how I could go about changing it." She purses her lips as she thinks for a moment before resigning and giving Kurt a look of defeat. She mouths the words I'm sorry as Sebastian looks around the room, and she starts making her way out.

Kurt dashes after her, not bothering to give Sebastian a polite, "Excuse me for one moment please." He taps her shoulder and runs a hand through his hair. While he doesn't want to see ungrateful, he can't imagine working with Sebastian. The thought of having to deal with him for more than a couple of minutes makes Kurt's head hurt. Sebastian is a headache bundled up into a self-assured, overly confident asshole, and Kurt doesn't know whether he can even deal with that kind of a person for outside of work.

"There's no way you could give me someone else? Anyone else?" Kurt asks, his shoulder slumping forward.

"I'm sorry. It's already done."

"What am I even doing?" Kurt glances back at the room and sees Sebastian leaning against the table, eyes closed.

"You're going to help design his clothes. Look, everyone has been really impressed in your work so far, but it's not easy to move from step to step. Kurt, I want you to be happy. I'm sorry." There's a bit of disappointment in her eyes, and Kurt can't help but feel bad.

"It means a lot that you'd do this for me," Kurt quickly says, putting his hands up. He remembers how excited Isabelle had seemed, and he feels guilty for seeming so angry.

"But you don't like it. No, I get it. He's… difficult." She gives Kurt a shaky smile and waves her hand as if to brush the problem away.

"No, it really is sweet. And I want it. I can make it work." He swallows and takes a deep breath. "It's not always going to be easy. I might as well start with a challenge, right?"

A small smile forms on Isabelle's face, though it's not enough to convince Kurt yet. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Hey, I mean, whether he's… rude or not," Kurt starts, careful to control his language, "he's still attractive." It almost hurts to get out, and Kurt forces a smile on his face.

"You think so?" Isabelle looks properly mollified as she asks, and she nods. "You'll get to like him. I'm sure he's not as horrible as he seemed back when you ran into him." Her hand falls to Kurt's shoulder, and she gives him a warm smile. "You two will be close before you know it."

Kurt certainly hopes not, but he just nods. "I'm sure." A little lying never hurt if it was for the right reason.

Isabelle gives Kurt a quick hug, and she looks cheery again. "I'd better get back to work. I just wanted to show you your surprise since he came."

Kurt watches as she walks down the hall, waving her fingers in a final goodbye. When she's out of sight, Kurt slumps forward again, his shoulders curling in, and the smile slides off of his face. He runs a hand through his hair before turning towards the room again and moving back. When he closes the door behind him, Sebastian perks up again, smirking at him.

"I think that went well," Sebastian says, stretching and standing up fully.

"Did it now?" Kurt asks. "Why in the world do you want to work with me? I thought you hated me."

"Hate? No. Think you're an unfortunate representation of gay men everywhere and that you're annoying? Definitely."

"I would think then you'd want to work with someone else," Kurt mutters, pulling out a chair and falling into it. He clenches his jaw and closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And miss all those wonderful opportunities to tease you? We wouldn't want that, now would we?" He laughs as he moves over next to Kurt and ruffles his hair. Kurt freezes when he first feels it before darting up and trying to swat Sebastian's hand away.

"Get off," he hisses, pulling out of Sebastian's path. "I hate you."

"I'm hurt." Sebastian pauses before looking at Kurt with a quirked eyebrow. "So, if I work for you, does that make it Mr. Hummel? 'Cause if it does, that just makes all the inappropriate comments I'm going to make so much better."

"You're calling me Kurt."

"But, babe…"

"And there you go with the nicknames again," Kurt mutters, rolling his eyes. As Sebastian reaches down, Kurt dodges his hand and glares up at Sebastian. "What?" he asks when Sebastian starts chuckling.

"You're too fun to mess with."

"I'm glad at least someone's amused."

As Sebastian starts whistling _Whistle_, Kurt groans. He already can't wait for Sebastian to be done with this job.

KSKSKSKS

Kurt takes a gulp of his martini and slides down in his chair. "I hate him."

"I'm pretty sure you've made that clear from the other fifty times you've said it," Rachel says, giving Kurt a worried look. "Are you sure you want to be drinking that?" She reaches out to grab Kurt's drink, but Kurt snatches it back, pouting.

"I'm sure." He looks at it before downing the rest of it in another two gulps. He winces and puts the glass down on the counter. "I just don't understand how it's even possible. There are over eight million people in New York City. Why did he have to get that? Why not Blaine or somebody?"

"I thought you were getting over Blaine," Rachel asks, leaning in.

"I am. I mean, I'm onto finding my soul mate, but he's taking too long. He needs to hurry the fuck up." Kurt raises his hand to try to signal the barista, and Rachel grabs his hand, lowering it down. "What are you doing?" Kurt whines, trying to raise his other hand. She catches that one too and shakes her head as if to say 'no'.

"I'm thinking you've had enough to drink."

"Have not!" Kurt crosses his arms over his chest a bit too quickly, and everything blurs around the edges for a moment.

"Sober Kurt would never argue."

"This is a terrible. How am I supposed to argue my way out of that if arguing is just going to prove I'm drunk?" Kurt asks before looking over at the barista as if he'll feel Kurt's glare and come over. When he doesn't, Kurt slumps down even further in his chair and huffs.

"I don't know why you're getting so worked up over this guy. He really doesn't seem worth your time. Besides, maybe you two just need some time."

Kurt tries to give her the best 'bitch please' glare he can as she smiles hopefully at him.

"Right. And maybe one day, football will be my favorite sport." Kurt brushes the imaginary dust off of his arm before shaking his head. "This is horrible."

"Kurt, look, I love you, and I want you to be happy, but it sounds like you're stuck with this guy." She gives Kurt an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

Kurt looks at his empty glass and put it too his lips, tilting it all the way back and trying to get any drops that he might have missed. When he sets it down, he closes his eyes. "I just don't want to deal with him right now."

"Maybe he'll surprise you. Besides, at least you're the boss in this situation. You're going to get to tell him what to do, right?"

oOoOoOo

"Stop acting like a little kid."

Kurt looks up as Sebastian talks to him, and his lips tighten into a line. "I'm not acting like a little kid," Kurt says before glancing back at his work. He grabs a piece of cloth and puts it up next to Sebastian, trying to see whether the color will work with his skin tone. While he's sure green would complement his eyes and his skin tone, he needs to find the right shade.

"You're acting like a spoiled, little kid who isn't getting who he wants. Admit it, babe."

"_Kurt_. It's Kurt."

"I still like babe better," Sebastian says with a grin. As Kurt pulls up another piece of cloth and places it against his skin, Sebastian's the one who looks annoyed. "Are you ever going to decide?"

"No. I'm going to make sure we're stuck together forever," Kurt mutters sarcastically. "Yes, I'm going to decide. It takes time. Unlike you, I don't get dressed in the dark, and, on top of that, it's difficult knowing what's going to work on you. I know what works on me as soon as I see it, but –"

"How very exciting. I stopped listening about halfway through the first sentence."

"Has anyone told you that you're an ass?" Kurt asks.

"I only take it as a compliment."

Kurt shuts up after that, deciding that maybe it's best to just keep his mouth shut. It seems like no matter what he says, Sebastian has something to say back, and speaking is just fueling him. Instead, Kurt works at picking out a color, eventually settling for an olive green. Thankfully, Sebastian stays mostly quiet, keeping all but a few comments to himself.

"I think I've settled on the colors," Kurt says after another twenty minutes of looking around. He looks up at Sebastian and smiles.

"That's funny."

"What?"

"I think that's the first time you've actually smiled since we've met," Sebastian says. It seems odd to Kurt that Sebastian would notice something as little as that. Not knowing what to say, Kurt just shrugs.

"I suppose you've given me nothing to be happy about," Kurt replies, a bit coldly.

Sebastian just laughs. "I've given you plenty to be happy about. You just have a different sense of humor than me."

"Obviously."

"And by that, I mean, I have a brilliant sense of humor, and you have a clearly deficient one," Sebastian finishes.

"And here I was thinking that there was no punch line. How silly of me." Kurt rolls his eyes. To be honest, this kind of banter isn't the worst. As terrible as he is now, if Sebastian mostly makes fun of how slowly he works and teases him like that, it's bearable, unlike at the mall. "Question?"

"Answer."

"Why does everyone say that?" Kurt asks, annoyed.

"Because saying 'question' seems idiotic." Sebastian raises an eyebrow and moves over towards the window, glancing out of it. "You were going to ask…"

"Were you looking for me? Is that why you got a job at Vogue?"

Sebastian snorts and looks over at Kurt again, shaking his head. Even though he had known the question was somewhat ridiculous, Kurt can't help but feel irked at Sebastian's incredulous expression.

"Don't flatter yourself, lady face," Sebastian says.

"Then why Vogue?"

"Because I'm hot, and I can get paid money for being hot. Isn't that reason enough?" Sebastian stretches and smirks. "Can't say the same for you. You're stuck designing clothes."

"I much prefer this end of the deal. It's significantly less shallow," Kurt bites back, crossing his arms over his chest and pursing his lips.

"You're just jealous because you're not nearly as attractive as me."

Kurt can hear the teasing edge to Sebastian's voice, but he still feels the urge to retort. Besides, it's obvious by now that Sebastian is just trying to egg him on.

"It's okay. I'd say about ninety-nine percent of the population isn't," Sebastian continues, giving Kurt a wink. "Besides, you're a solid… seven and a half, which isn't bad considering you're practically a woman."

"I don't know whether I should be flattered or take offense to that," Kurt says, laughing. He quickly stifles his laugh and clears his throat. Part of him knows it's petty, but he wants to have a reason to keep from being friends with Sebastian.

"Whichever you prefer."

Kurt doesn't fail to notice the amused look on Sebastian's face. "What's so funny?" he snaps after a moment.

"Touchy, touchy. Teasing you is going to be easier than expected."

"I'm looking forward to it," Kurt mutters sarcastically under his breath.

oOoOoOo

As Kurt falls back into the sofa, he glances over at Brody and Rachel. They're sitting on the couch, their arms wrapped around each other as they stare at each other and coo. Kurt tightens his jaw and looks back over at the TV; they're watching _RENT_.

Even though it's getting to his favorite part – while Angel's funeral is almost unbearable and heartbreaking, it still is his favorite party – it's hard to listen to the occasional kissing noise or small laugh coming out of Rachel's mouth. From time to time, Brody will make a small shushing noise, and they'll quiet down for a little longer, watching the movie, before getting distracted again.

There's only so much Kurt can deal with before he clears his throat and looks over at the both of them. They look up at him, and Rachel's cheeks go red. Brody just shrugs his shoulders. Kurt wishes Brody would at least have the decency to look apologetic. Instead, he just looks pleased, and it's obvious from the moment he glances back at Rachel that he has no intention of stopping.

He wonders what it'd be like to have someone like Rachel and Brody have each other. He wonders if this is what he and Blaine were like while they lasted. It's like they've forgotten a world exists beyond their little bubble. Kurt slides down and pinches his brow. For some reason, he wonders what Sebastian would say. Funnily enough, he can imagine Sebastian making some sort of remark about Rachel and Brody sucking at each other's faces – because, honestly, that's the closest way to describe what they're doing – and a snort escapes him.

Both Rachel and Brody's heads swerve over, and they look at him.

"Something up?" Brody asks, and he's starting to sound annoyed.

"As amusing as watching you two make out is, I think I'm going to head over to my room," Kurt says, stretching and getting up.

It's only six-thirty on a Saturday, and Kurt has no intentions of going to sleep yet. As far as he knows, everyone he cares about is busy or too far to reach, but he hopes he can find something online. He glances back at them to see Rachel and Brody already kissing again, and he rolls his eyes.

It doesn't take long before he's bored of his laptop and deciding that there's nothing on Netflix that he wants to watch. Kurt pouts and worries his lip between his teeth. He's about to give up and start properly moping when his phone buzzes. Kurt picks it up, and his brow furrows.

There's a text from Sebastian.

(6:38 PM)

_What are you up to, babe?_

Kurt wonders whether he should bother replying. When he hears a thud from the living room, followed by Rachel's laughter, he winces and decides that maybe he should. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he decides.

(6:40 PM)

**Nothing much. I'm just trying to avoid running into my roommate and her boyfriend having sex.**

Maybe they can have a civil relationship. Kurt can cross his fingers, right?

(6:41 PM)

_Sounds depressing. I'm getting drinks._

(6:41 PM)

**And?**

(6:42 PM)

_And you should join me… ?_

While Sebastian has been nicer than usual, the question sees suspicious.

(6:42 PM)

**Is this a trick?**

(6:44 PM)

_Nope. I'm bored as hell, and my favorite club is closed. Besides, I decided to be civil._

(6:45 PM)

**Sebastian Smythe does not suddenly decide to invite me around. What happened?**

As he stares at his phone, feeling pathetic, he waits for the answer. It comes five minutes later, and Kurt laughs.

(6:50 PM)

_Isabelle threatened to beat me up. She said that you hate me and that I better play nice or else she'll fire me. And that once Vogue fires me, no one will want me._

(6:51 PM)

**As flattered as I am that you're forced to invite me, I think I'll pass. Besides, why are you scared of her beating you up?**

(6:52 PM)

_She still scares me._

(6:54 PM)

**Have I mentioned you're pathetic?**

(6:55 PM)

… _ANYWAY, she can't say I didn't try._

(6:55 PM)

**Whatever happened to never giving up?**

Kurt waist for a few minutes for Sebastian's response before realizing that Sebastian probably isn't going to reply. He tosses his phone to the side and moves back to his laptop.


	3. Chapter Two

"How are things with that boy at work?" Rachel asks, picking random items up and looking at them before setting them back down on the shelves.

"Sebastian?"

"That was his name. I can never remember it." She looks at a jar of honey as if inspecting it.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asks, raising an eyebrow.

"We've got most of what we need, and I don't really feel like leaving yet." Rachel just shrugs her shoulders. "Anyway, how are things?"

"Miserable," Kurt grumbles. When Rachel gives Kurt a curious look, he sighs. "Okay, not entirely. He's not a pain in the ass one hundred percent of the time. He's dropped down to ninety-seven percent of the time."

"I'm sorry. That doesn't sound like fun. Is he still making fun of your fashion taste?"

"Despite the fact that I'm helping design the clothes he's going to wear for his shoots, yes. Yes, he is."

"Why is he so stubborn, do you think?"

"I don't know, but if there's an asshole gene, he has it." Kurt runs his hand through his hair before fixing it again. "It's even worse because he'll have these random spurts where he's not completely terrible, and then he'll just go back to being himself."

"By that you mean that he can be nice and funny, I'm guessing," Rachel says. Coughing, Kurt avoids the question, and Rachel laughs. "Oh, c'mon, Kurt. He doesn't sound that bad. So, he's a little full of himself."

"He's more than a little. If you actually met him for once, you'd understand what I mean?" Kurt sets his jaw and turns away. He looks over at the Nutella, trying to find a change of subject and something to cheer him up, and he grabs a jar before giving Rachel a hopeful look. "Can we?"

"Do you really need Nutella?"

"We can get that or a cheesecake." Kurt holds the Nutella up in one hand, but Rachel shakes her head.

"Ooh, I vote for the cheesecake. I haven't had some in a while."

"Cheesecake it is."

They make their way over to the desserts, grabbing some cheesecake, and then walk over to cashiers. The lady at their check out looks like she's eighty, and she gives them a sweet smile. "Are you two together? My, you two look so sweet. Did you zero out together?" she asks as she finishes scanning their items.

"What?" Kurt asks, shaking his hands wildly. "No, no, I'm gay." He feels a blush creep up on his face, and he lifts his hand and points to his blank TiMER as if somehow that'll prove his sexuality.

"And I have a boyfriend," Rachel adds, laughing nervously.

"Oh, my mistake." She offers them another friendly smile, and Kurt clears his throat, drawing away as Rachel pays for the groceries. He's picking up the bags when the lady speaks again. "Call me old fashioned, but I don't think you need a TiMER to tell you who you're supposed to love. A blank TiMER might be a good thing."

Kurt disagrees, but he still nods and gives her a polite smile. "Thanks."

oOoOoOo

Kurt doesn't know what possesses him to grab a coffee with Sebastian after work one day. As if his constant smirking isn't bad enough, he keeps on getting distracted by men walking by. At several points, Kurt's almost tempted to call him out on it; it's like Sebastian is doing it on purpose, staring a little harder than he has to.

When Sebastian's eyes trail after yet another ass, Kurt clears his throat and reaches out his hand, snapping his fingers in Sebastian's face. "While you may have forgotten I'm here, it doesn't mean I don't exist."

"You could be like Schrodinger's cat for all I know," Sebastian says, grinning as he turns away from the man after one, final look.

"Schrodinger's cat?"

"A cat's in a box. When you look inside the box, the cat can either be dead or alive, but when you're not looking, how do you know that it's not both? It's only once we observe it that it's either one hundred percent alive or one hundred percent dead."

"And your point is?" Kurt deadpans, glaring at Sebastian.

"You exist when I'm looking at you, but maybe you don't when I look away. I can't be one hundred percent sure."

"Really, you're so clever. Don't stop," Kurt says, annoyed. He lifts his cup up and takes a sip from it, staring outside. "I don't know why I even bothered to go on a coffee date with you."

"A date?" Sebastian asks. "Why, Kurt, I didn't know you thought of us like that!" He grins and feigns flattery as Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Not like that. I really give up on you."

"So soon? Where's the fun in that?" Pouting, Sebastian leans forward.

"_Anyway_…" Kurt taps his fingers against the table and looks out the window again.

"Like you're doing a great job in keeping the conversation going," Sebastian mumbles.

"I'm just trying to be friendly." Kurt pinches the bridge of his nose before looking up at Sebastian. "Maybe I'm not doing the best I could, but can you blame me?"

"You have a strapping young lad in front of you – such as me – and you decide to either ignore him or be rude. I'm starting to question whether you're actually gay or not, babe." Though Sebastian's tone is teasing, Kurt just frowns and rolls his eyes again.

"Trust me. I'm quite gay. I'm just not attracted to you, as impossible as that probably seems to you."

"It does seem pretty impossible. You're one of the few gay guys who isn't." Sebastian shakes his head and chuckles.

"So you keep on telling me."

"You know, maybe the reason you're so uptight is because you've never had sex before since you've never met your one," Sebastian says. That response isn't what Kurt was expecting, and he ends up choking on his coffee. He sets it down and grabs a napkin, wiping the corners of his lips before glaring at Sebastian.

"Who says that I haven't had sex?" Kurt asks.

"You? Oh, come on, you wouldn't have sex with someone unless you were with your one. You'd see it as cheating." Kurt runs his tongue over his teeth and shrugs.

"For your information, I have had sex."

"You've had sex? God, I pity the guy. What happened to him? Did he refuse to get a TiMER?"

"None of your damn business," Kurt snaps back.

"Touchy subject, I see. I'm guessing it didn't have the happiest of endings." As Sebastian leans back in his chair, Kurt looks him up and down.

He waits a moment before deciding to change the subject. "Why don't you have a TiMER?" Kurt asks, hoping that Sebastian will stop asking questions. The last thing he needs is Sebastian finding out about Blaine; he's sure it'll only be more fuel for Sebastian to tease him with. After all, Sebastian tends to find his misery amusing.

"Why do you have one?" Sebastian asks, shrugging.

"Because I want to find my soul mate and be happy… I'd think that answer would be kind of obvious," Kurt says. He swirls his drinks around and takes another sip from it.

"Okay, fine, I'd figured as much."

"So, why don't you have one?"

"I don't believe in them," Sebastian says as if it's simple. Kurt raises an eyebrow, and shakes his head.

"Are you kidding? It's scientifically proven to work. They say that the bracelet measures –"

"I know how it works," Sebastian says with a sigh, "but I don't want to get one. I don't have any desire to let some stupid metal implant tell me who I'm supposed to 'make love to' or whatever other nonsense." He waves his hand dismissively. "Can we just walk? I'm tired of sitting here."

Kurt nods, and they grab their cups, making their way outside. Grabbing his jacket, Kurt slips it on, and he holds his cup between two hands.

"Why don't you want to find your soul mate?" he asks, glancing over at Sebastian.

"If and when I want to settle down, I'll do it on my own terms with a person of my choosing. I'm not going to let my _entire_ life be determined by that thing. I understand it works, and I understand the appeal for idiots – no offense."

"Something tells me the offense was intentional."

"Okay, maybe a little." Sebastian grins. "But I'm just saying that I don't see the point." His hand waves about. "People all over the world lived happily without the TiMER. Third world countries and don't have them yet, and they're not fully integrated in some first world countries." He finishes his drink before tossing it in a trash can on the side of the road.

"Not everyone has it in the United States," Kurt says.

"Okay, but I think the most recent polls have said that seventy-eight percent of eligible people do," Sebastian says. Kurt looks down at his wrist at his blank TiMER and wonders why his one has to be in the twenty-two percent. It doesn't seem fair. He shakes his head and looks up at Sebastian.

"What about divorce? With the TiMER, there's been no need for divorces. Happiness is guaranteed. All you need is a little beep, and –"

"If you continue spewing their catchphrases, I might have to punch you in the face," Sebastian interrupts. He shakes his head and stops at a red light, leaning against the building. "It makes relationships different. Besides, I can't just go around fucking people with the TiMER. I mean, yeah, some guys want it bad before they find their one, but once people have a soul mate, they don't want to cheat. People stop wanting to be single and just have some fun."

"That's a terrible reason."

"And you're a perfect example of someone who doesn't want to have any fun." Sebastian laughs and stands up as the light turns green. They cross the street, and Kurt huffs.

"I know how to have fun. Just because my idea of fun doesn't involve anonymous sex…"

"Oh, but, babe, that's what _fun_ is. You don't know fun until you've hooked up at least once, and something tells me your oh-so secret time you had sex wasn't a hook-up. You got sad when I mentioned it."

It seems strange to Kurt that Sebastian would notice that, so he just shrugs. "It wasn't a hook-up," he admits, "but I'm not about to discuss it with you."

"Why?"

"Give me one good reason to open up to you."

"I'm not going to tell other people your secrets," Sebastian offers, and he actually sounds interested.

"Are you… curious?"

"No." Sebastian's response is a bit too quick to be genuine, and Kurt smirks.

"You are curious," Kurt says, and, for some reason, he feels victorious. Sebastian mouths it after Kurt and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"So what if I am?"

"Well, the problem isn't that I'm afraid you're going to tell anyone."

"Then what's the problem?" Sebastian asks.

"I'm pretty sure you're just going to make fun of me if I do tell you."

"Well, I can't deny that," Sebastian says, and he winks. As they stop in front of another red light, Kurt turns to face Sebastian.

"And there lies our problem, babe." As soon as the nickname comes out of his mouth, he cringes. Kurt draws his lips together and makes as face as if he's tasted something unpleasant. "I can't believe I just said that." He groans and leans his head back.

"It seems like I'm rubbing off on you," Sebastian says, sound smug. He chuckles and nudges Kurt. "Before you know it, you're going to be sleeping with men right and left and deciding to remove that TiMER of yours."

Kurt straightens himself and tries to give Sebastian a bitchy glare. When Sebastian just smirks, Kurt shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "In your dreams, Sebastian."

oOoOoOo

Kurt's lying on his bed with a cup of tea on his desk when a little Skype pop-up notifies him that Blaine is online. He stares at the green icon and watches as it disappears from the corner of his screen. For a moment, he debates messaging Blaine before he shakes his head, reasoning that it's probably a bad idea.

He goes back to watching the next episode of _Sex in the City_ off of Netflix. It's enough to amuse him and get his mind off of everything. Normally, he would be having dinner with Rachel right about now, but Rachel – as per usual, lately – is off with Brody.

An hour and a half – three episodes – later, he's ready to get off, but he has to check. He pulls up Skype, and, sure enough, Blaine is still online. Kurt hovers over his name, debating for a moment whether he should actually do anything, before clicking on it. Before he can second guess himself, he quickly types out "hi", and sends it.

Kurt stares at the messenger for a full minute, waiting for the tiny text at the bottom to read in italics that "_Blaine Anderson is typing…"_ He stares as if staring will somehow make it happen faster. After another minute passes, he gives up and minimizes his screen before grabbing his tea. He's just about to shut off his laptop, when he hears the tiny sound of Skype receiving a message.

**Blaine Anderson** (10:52 PM)

Hey. :)

Kurt grins, and lifts up his screen, taking a deep breath. He doesn't know why he feels so nervous. There's absolutely no reason to. It's been over half a year since they've broken up, but talking to Blaine still makes his stomach flip. He thinks back to what Sebastian had said about the stupidity of basing a life around a TiMER, and he glances down at his own as if it'll give him the answer.

And shakes his head.

Sebastian is just planting silly ideas inside his head. There's absolutely no reason for him to doubt his TiMER; he never has before, not entirely.

**Kurt Hummel** (10:52)

What's up? Are you busy?

**Blaine Anderson** (10:53)

Nope. Just doing homework. I wouldn't mind a distraction, though. Almost done with this essay. So close.

**Kurt Hummel** (10:53)

Wonderful. Give me a sec.

It's ridiculous, and he knows it is, but he allows himself to look into a mirror. He fixes his hair, brushing down a few parts where it's sticking up, and he runs his hands over the wrinkles in his clothes. He takes a deep breath and moves over towards his laptop, sitting down and video calling Blaine.

Blaine picks up after three rings. The video takes a second to load, but once it does, he gives Kurt a tired smile. He looks surprisingly different. His hair doesn't have gel in it, and he's wearing a black blazer with white V-neck underneath.

"Hi," Kurt says, his voice smaller than he means it to be.

"Hey. Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess. I went to sleep at five last night, and I had to wake up for nine AM classes," Blaine replies. He shifts and closes a book with some papers in it, moving it to the side.

"How are you liking UCLA?" They'd originally planned to go to New York together, and though Blaine had gotten into NYU, he's chosen UCLA over it. Opposite sides of the continent.

"It's good. A lot of work, but it's nice. The people here are great. It's been fun. New things constantly. I'm sure you feel that way with New York too, though." Blaine smiles and grabs his laptop, shifting back so that he's lying down in his bed, his laptop on his lap.

"Yeah. Lots of things going on. Between school and work –"

"Oh, right, you're working in Vogue. How's that?"

"Busy. I have an asshole model that I'm designing for."

"They already have you designing?" Blaine sounds surprised, and Kurt shakes his head, though he smiles.

"No, I'm an intern, but my boss, Isabelle, is really sweet. She has me helping with him. Kind of wish it was anyone but him. He's a pain to deal with. Thinks he's the prince of the world. Doesn't help that he makes countless amounts of innuendos and calls me princess…" It feels weird making small talk with Blaine.

"Is he homophobic?"

"No, he's actually gay. He's just – I don't know what his problem is, but I'm already ready for that project to be over with just so that I don't have to deal with him anymore." Kurt runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "It's stressful, and I still have a lot of work from school, and sometimes I really don't have the patience to deal with him." Kurt runs his hands over his face and closes his eyes. "I wish you were here."

The words slip out before Kurt can stop them, and he feels himself go red. Blaine stays quiet, and his brow furrows, though he otherwise makes no sign of having heard what Kurt said. Kurt thinks back to how whenever he was stressed out, Blaine would massage his shoulders and kiss up his neck until he relaxed.

"Well, you look good," Blaine finally says, breaking the silence.

"Thanks, you too. You look… different."

"I – I'm getting help. You always said I was a bit hopeless with fashion."

"Help? From whom?"

"Ben. He's my roommate. He actually should be back soon," Blaine says, and Kurt swears he almost sounds nervous about it. He wonders what Blaine has to be nervous about, but before he can ask, Ben, Kurt assumes, walks in as if on cue.

"Hey, Blaine," Ben says, and Blaine sits up so that he's only visible up to his shoulders. Kurt's brow furrows.

"Blaine?" he asks.

He can see the torso of someone standing beside the bed and Ben's hands reach out, massaging Blaine's shoulders. "Missed you." Kurt can hear a kissing sound, and his heart stutters for a moment.

"Blaine?" he repeats again.

"Who are you talking to?" Ben asks.

"Kurt…"

"Your ex, right? Can I meet him?"

"Uh, Ben, maybe now's not the best time." Blaine at least sounds nervous. Kurt sinks down into his bed, feeling ridiculous. If it hasn't properly sunk in before that they've broken up, it does now. Blaine has someone else. Blaine's voice turns muffled before he reaches out. Kurt assumes he's muted the mic because he doesn't hear anything anymore.

After a moment, Ben walks away, and Blaine turns the mic on. "Sorry about that," Blaine says, scratching his head and looking away from the camera.

"So, that's your new boyfriend, then?"

"Yeah. He's… nice."

"Do you think he's your one? I'm guessing he doesn't have a TiMER," Kurt says. It's silly, but his eyes are prickling.

"Actually, he has a TiMER. His says he has another two years. He's not my one, but we both just don't want to wait alone, and I have over a year until I find my match. Besides, I've been thinking of getting mine removed. They're silly and ruin relationships. Relationships that might have otherwise worked."

He's giving Kurt that sad puppy pout, and Kurt feels his eyes prickle again. "Yeah, right, look, I have to go, okay? I'll talk to you again sometime later."

"Right. Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think he was coming that soon. I didn't want you to meet him like that." Somehow, Kurt figures it would be easier if Blaine didn't sound so damn apologetic.

"Yeah, right. Bye."

"Bye, Kurt." Kurt sighs and quickly ends the call. He sits there for a moment, staring at the screen before shutting off his laptop, setting it to the side, and turning out his bedside light. He falls back on his bed and closes his eyes.

Even though he knows he'll probably just fall asleep, he tells himself that he'll get out of his clothes in a few minutes.


	4. Chapter Three

"Well, you look like shit," Sebastian says, leaning back in his chair as Kurt walks into the workroom.

Kurt just stares at him for a moment before muttering, "You really know how to compliment a guy, Sebastian."

"I try."

As Kurt goes to sit down, he can see out of the corner of his eyes that Sebastian is staring at him. Though he isn't saying anything, his eyebrows his raised, and his expression alone tells Kurt that he has a question on the tip of his tongue. He decides to ignore it, and he grabs his laptop out of his satchel and sets it on the table. After another minute of Sebastian just staring at him, he can't take it anymore.

"What?" Kurt asks, looking up and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Nothing. You're awfully jumpy today." When Sebastian smirks, Kurt just sets his jaw and lets out a shaky breath.

"I really don't have the patience to deal with you today," Kurt says, looking down at his laptop again.

"So, something did happen. There's drama in wonderland."

"Drama that's none of your damn business," Kurt says, grabbing his headset from his bag and plugging it into the computer. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. All he could think about was Ben – the way Blaine lit up when talking about them or the fact that it just seemed so easy between them.

Maybe that could have been the two of them. If he hadn't decided to focus on his TiMER, maybe he could have had a solid chance with Blaine. Then again, it seemed crazy to ignore what his TiMER said.

What if his one never decided to get a TiMER? The thought had passed through his head before, but he can't imagine who would never decide to get a TiMER. There are people like Sebastian, but they would come to their senses eventually, right?

Kurt feels a hand on his shoulder and jumps. When he glances up, Sebastian squeezes, and for a brief second, Kurt sees worry flicker in his eyes. "What did your computer ever do to you?"

"What?" Kurt asks, reaching up and running his hands over his face.

"You were giving it the death glare, so I figure it's something pretty serious." Sebastian squeezes Kurt's shoulders again and starts massaging them. His thumb presses down and moves along Kurt's collar and up his neck. Kurt shivers and lets out a whimper, instinctually tilting his head to the side.

"Fuck off," he mutters, though his eyes are already closing, and it comes out sounding drowsy. It's only when Sebastian's fingers start slipping under his shirt that he jerks up and pulls away. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. You just seemed tense, babe. I'm trying to help." Sebastian wets his lips and reaches towards Kurt's shoulders again, but Kurt jerks out of the way.

"Stop." Kurt lets out a sigh and shakes his head.

"Babe…" When Sebastian reaches out again, Kurt turns around, jabbing his finger in his chest.

"It's none of your business. Just… go away. Go find something else to busy yourself with. Go bother someone who cares. I'll text you if I need you."

Sebastian narrows his eyes and sucks in his lips, a hard, cold look taking over his face. "_Fine._ Whatever. I'll leave you to sulk. Not like I care what you do with your life, anyway." He turns around and starts to storm out of the office. After a few steps, he turns around. "And I'm not your booty call. I'm not going to just come when you text me." With a huff, he turns around again and leaves.

Kurt sighs and slinks down in his chair. He stares blankly at his laptop as a small amount of guilt bubbles up in him. He lays his head down on the table.

KSKSKSKS

As it turns out, Kurt doesn't need Sebastian at work for the rest of the day. He tries texting Sebastian later, asking him what he's up to, but he gets no reply. It seems like he's managed to properly piss Sebastian off.

Rachel has a few wine bottles that she's gotten from Brody, and she's made it clear that she's happy to share them. They haven't really touched them. And while Kurt isn't the biggest fan of alcohol, he supposes a little bit can't hurt. It takes him ages to find the corkscrew, and the cork starts to crumble apart when he finally gets it out.

He pours himself a glass and stares sullenly at it before tipping it back. It's bitter, and he winces, though he's immediately taking another gulp. Before he knows it, he's two glasses in, and he's starting to get a bit woozy.

His phone buzzes, and he sets his glass down and picks his phone up.

(9:28 PM)

**What could you possibly want, Kurt?**

Kurt pouts at the text before writing back a response.

(9:29 PM)

_I made you mad earlier. :(_

He stares at his phone and pokes at it, waiting for Sebastian to respond. It feels like it's taking forever, and Kurt has to check four times just to make sure the message sent.

(9:33 PM)

**Whatever.**

(9:33 PM)

_Please don't be angry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean. :(_

Kurt feels like he half shouldn't write these things as he's typing them out, but he hits send anyway. He leans his head on the counter and stares at his phone, jumping up when it vibrates again.

(9:38 PM)

**Oh my God. You're drunk, aren't you?**

(9:38 PM)

… _No. I just had two glasses of wine._

(9:40 PM)

**Wow, you're a lightweight.**

Kurt smiles. He's about to write back a reply when Sebastian texts him again.

(9:40 PM)

**Which bar are you at?**

(9:41 PM)

_I'm at my house. I don't have a fake ID. I just needed something to get my mind off of everything. And I was just sad that you were madface._

(9:42 PM)

**I hope you know that I'm going to start using the word madface around you now. Where do you live?**

It takes Sebastian half an hour to get over to where Kurt lives. He hears a knock on the door and perks up, moving over to it and opening it. He gives Sebastian a dopey grin but pouts as soon as Sebastian starts chuckling at him.

"If only you could see yourself."

"Shush." Kurt nudges Sebastian and grins.

"Question… did you have anything to eat before you decided to drink two glasses of wine?"

"No. Why?"

"You're an idiot," Sebastian says, laughing as Kurt pouts at him.

"Am not."

"C'mon, tiger, let's go to the couch." Sebastian wraps an arm around Kurt and they both move over to the couch. Kurt's head is just a little fuzzy, but he can generally think fine. Though, he has to admit as Sebastian pushes close, he can't help but lean into Sebastian more. It feels nice to have someone right next to him, even if it's not like _that_.

When they sit down, Kurt curls up next to him and rests his head against Sebastian's chest. This time, when Sebastian reaches up and squeezes his shoulder, he doesn't pull away. Instead, he closes his eyes, relaxing as Sebastian's hand drags up to his hair and runs through it.

"So… Why were you so upset?" Sebastian's failing to sound casual, and while a part of Kurt knows that Sebastian's just fishing for information, Kurt doesn't care.

"Because I messed everything up with my boyfriend, and my TiMER's never going to start." Kurt takes a deep breath and frowns. He doesn't like talking about it.

"This is the guy that broke your heart, I'm guessing," Sebastian says, and Kurt tries to nod, though his head feels heavy.

"We dated for a while, and I wanted him to get a TiMER, and he didn't."

"Oh God, let me guess… he wasn't your one."

Kurt pauses for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, he wanted it to work, but I don't believe in it. Though I don't think I believe in the TiMER anymore either. I don't know. It's stupid. He said he might get his removed for his current boyfriend. Ben." He scoffs. "Stupid Ben and their stupid relationship."

He feels drowsy as he opens his eyes and looks up at Sebastian, his cheeks puff out as he thinks about that Skype call.

"This is why TiMERs are stupid." Sebastian shakes his head and sighs.

"What about you? Don't you know what it feels like to be in love?" Kurt asks, his brow furrowing as he continues to look up at Sebastian.

"Nope. I don't believe in falling in love this young. I have my whole life ahead of me. Besides, relationships are restrictive," Sebastian says, shrugging his shoulders. "It's just not my thing. I'm not saying that you kids can't run around and play with your TiMERs and fall madly in love, but that shit's not for me."

Kurt nods and closes his eyes again, sinking against Sebastian's chest. Sebastian's arm stays snugly around him, and his other hand continues to run through Kurt's hair. His fingers trail down to the back of Kurt's neck before running back up, using his nails just a bit. It doesn't take long before Kurt starts drifting off, but Sebastian squeezes him around his waist.

"Time to get you to bed, babe," Sebastian says. "I feel like I'm babysitting." He laughs. As he moves out of the way, Kurt whines, and he pouts as Sebastian pulls him up. He's mostly asleep by the time Sebastian finally manages to get the door shut and get him in bed. "And I didn't even get a handjob out of it."

"What d'ya want – some kind of award?" Kurt asks, giving Sebastian a drowsy but amused look.

"Maybe."

When Sebastian starts taking off his shirt, Kurt squeaks and tries to get out of his grip, though he just ends up flopping backwards on the bed. The movement is enough to jar him awake more or less, and he glares up at Sebastian.

"Not like that," Sebastian says, rolling his eyes as Kurt continues to glare. "You're going to bed. You should be in your boxers."

"Oh…" Kurt looks down at what he's wearing. Sebastian's right; not only would sleeping in that outfit make it wrinkly, but it would also be uncomfortable. "I can do it myself." Kurt slips out of his clothes, down to his boxers, and he suddenly feels self-conscious. Sebastian is still standing there, looking at him. He flushes and walks over to his bathroom to brush his teeth and put on his lotions.

Sebastian wanders back out to the living room, and Kurt takes his time to finish. It feels odd having Sebastian over. His mind is still a little fuzzy, but now that he's awake, it's clearer than it was before. He's starting to regret inviting Sebastian over. There's no way Sebastian's intensions are good.

When he's finishing up, he can hear Rachel come in. He can hear Rachel talking to Sebastian, and he makes his way out, into the bedroom, and pops his head out to glance at the living room.

"Oh, no, I'm not Kurt's one. God no. I don't even have a TiMER. I don't think that they're worth getting, really," Sebastian says.

Rachel's smile drops, and she arches an eyebrow. "You must be Sebastian. Why are you here?"

"So, Kurt's told you about me?" Sebastian says, grinning. "All good things, I'm sure."

"Right…" Rachel clears her throat and glances over at the table. "Were you trying to get him drunk?"

"No, no, I think he had a talk with Blaine and things went roughly, so he decided to just have something to drink."

"How do you know Blaine?" Rachel asks.

"Kurt just told me about him. Interesting story." Sebastian turns his back away from Kurt, so Kurt can't see what his expression is.

"Oh, Kurt, there you are," Rachel says, noticing Kurt and giving him a tight smile.

Kurt walks out into the living room and stifles a yawn. "Hey, Rachel. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, yeah. I have to finish some homework, though. I'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as Sebastian turns around to start heading back towards Kurt's room, she gives Kurt a look as if to demand an explanation. Kurt just shrugs.

"We're not having sex," Kurt says as he moves over towards the bed and slips under the covers.

"Wasn't planning on it. Believe it or not, that's not running through my head all day long." When Kurt gives him a skeptical look, Sebastian adds, "Just twenty-three hours a day."

Kurt huffs but scoots over, making room for Sebastian. Sebastian lies down next to him.

"As fun as this one-on-one was, I think next time we should go to a club."

"I told you that I don't have a fake ID. I can't go drinking with you, and I'm not about to have a boy's night out where we hook up. This was nice and all, Sebastian, but it doesn't mean that we're friends now."

"I wasn't expecting it'd mean that," Sebastian says, though he sounds frustrated. "I mostly thought you were drunk, and I wanted to see what you were like."

"Great. Now you know." Kurt rolls over, facing away from Sebastian.

"Are you seriously going to be like that? You're the one who said it doesn't make us friends now, not me." The bed shifts as Sebastian moves as well, and Kurt feels the heat of Sebastian's body move away from him. He closes his eyes and shrugs.

"I don't even know what I'm being like."

"Never mind. I just can't wait until you're done designing, we do the shoots, and I don't have to deal with you again."

"Great, 'cause I'm almost done. I have maybe three more days to work on it," Kurt snaps. That happy mood he'd managed to build back up evaporates again, and he runs his tongue over his teeth, wondering why it should even bother him that Sebastian's acting pissy towards him.

"Awesome."

They say nothing else, and it doesn't take too much longer before Kurt falls asleep. He feels restless throughout the dream, and he wakes up with a small headache. When he glances over to the other side of his bed, Sebastian's gone.

KSKSKSKS

Kurt stumbles, barely catching himself before falling. He rubs at his temples and sinks back against the wall before he's being yelled at.

"C'mon, Hummel, are you even trying?" Mrs. Leder says, walking over. "You're stumbling about like this is your first dance class."

"I'm sorry. I'm just distracted, he mumbles, his cheeks turning red as the rest of the class stares at him.

"You can't let yourself be distracted. Get distracted during a musical performance, and you'll end up embarrassing yourself in front of an audience and giving the entire cast a bad name." She gives Kurt a stern look and a tap on the shoulder. "Everyone take five," she yells at the group. They scatter to grab their water bottles and take a sip or just lean against the wall.

Rachel rushes over, giving Kurt a curious look. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Sebastian staying the night, would it?" she asks.

"No, it wouldn't. He didn't even stay the night. He was gone when I woke up," Kurt says, his tone harsh. He sighs. "Sorry. I'm just in a bad mood."

"I've noticed. Look, I don't mean to be… intrusive, but isn't it a bit too soon to jump into another relationship? I don't think you're over Kurt, and Sebastian doesn't really seem like great… boyfriend material."

"He's not my boyfriend. He came over because he thought I was drunk, and then he asked me a bunch of personal questions, and I was stupid and gave him answers. And he's probably just going to use them against me anyway." Kurt can feel his voice raise in pitch, and it isn't until Rachel lays a hand on his shoulder that he jerks his head up.

"Oh, Kurt…" She leans forward, pulling him into a hug. "It'll get better. It will." Kurt falls limply in her arms for a moment before wrapping his arms around her too. He can feel the fear and anger and annoyance start to seep out of him, and he swallows as a lump forms in his throat.

They linger for a moment longer before pulling back. Kurt smiles at Rachel and sniffs. "Thanks."

"That's what friends are for, right? Now, c'mon. Impress Mrs. Leder. Show her the Kurt Hummel I know."

KSKSKSKS

That night, Kurt and Rachel sit down to watch TV. They watch _Crazy, Stupid Love_ and end up stumbling upon _When Harry Met Sally_ after. Even though it's almost eleven, they decide to watch it. Rachel deems it their girl's night ("since we haven't had one in a while"), and Kurt doesn't mind. She buys a cheesecake for them to share again, and Kurt can't help but laugh as she nudges him.

They're just at the infamous fake orgasm scene when Kurt hears a beep. A shiver runs through his body, and his mouth goes dry.

"What was that?" Rachel asks.

Kurt's eyes fall down to his wrist, and he lets out a yelp. Scrambling off the couch, he looks up at Rachel. His heart feels like it's racing, and he doesn't even know what to say or think. A bubble feels like it's rising up in his, and before he can help it, he's laughing giddily.

"What?" Rachel asks again, looking concerned.

His wrist goes up, and he beams at Rachel. "My TiMER. It went off."

Rachel lets out a shriek, and she jumps up too, grabbing his wrist. "Oh my God. Kurt, you're meeting him tomorrow! Like you're actually going to meet him tomorrow." She grins at him before moving forward and hugging him again. "I'm so happy for you. I told you it'd be okay. You're going to meet your one tomorrow! I can't believe it."

They spend the next hour talking about it. Kurt can't help but wonder what he'll be like. It's a weird concept; after all these years of hoping and waiting, it's finally gone off when he felt like he had lost hope.

Rachel babbles on, telling Kurt over and over again to invite him over for dinner tomorrow. "We can celebrate. I just can't believe it! I'm going to meet your future husband tomorrow." She squeals again before pulling him into yet another hug. Usually, Kurt wouldn't appreciate this many hugs, but at the moment, he's pretty sure he could see Blaine and Lucas kissing and still be fine.

He's going to meet his one.

KSKSKSKS

Kurt waits all day for it to happen. He goes around classes nervously, looking around at each person. He's never noticed just how much he's avoided eye contact before this. But now it seems awkward trying to get eye contact with each person.

Part of him is paranoid that somehow they won't look at each other. What if he just walks past him on the street? Is that even a possibility? Could he meet his one and not even know it? What if one of their TiMERs somehow malfunctions? He's never heard of something like that happening before, but he's sure it could.

By the time he gets to work, he feels sick. His stomach is churning, and he just wants to know. It's almost six PM. There's only six hours left, so it has to happen soon. His eyes dart about the street and then around the elevator. As he walks down towards his office, he bites on the inside of his cheek worriedly, wondering where all the excitement from yesterday went.

He sees the back of Sebastian's head as he walks down the hall. It's the last person he wants to see, and he sighs as he walks into the office. Looking down at his satchel, he picks at it.

"You'll never guess what happened last night," Sebastian says.

"Hm?" Kurt asks. He sits himself down at his desk and puts his satchel next to the table, pulling out his laptop as usual. His headset comes out next, and when he has it all on his desk, he glances up at Sebastian.

It feels like an electric shock runs through his body as his and Sebastian's eyes meet. Kurt goes slack-jawed as that feeling is replaced with a slow, pleasant warmth seeping through him. Beeping fills the room, coming from both his and Sebastian's wrists. Sebastian's TiMER is lighting up too.

"Well, shit."


	5. Chapter Four

Kurt stares down at his wrist at the zeros before looking back up at Sebastian. His head feels light as he opens his mouth, trying to find something to say. Sebastian's mouth is just hanging open, and his eyes are wide.

"Nope." Kurt's the first one to break the silence, and he throws his hands up and steps back. "There's something wrong with the TiMER."

"I bet I got a faulty one," Sebastian replies, sounding panicked.

"There's a mistake."

"Has to be," Sebastian agrees.

"I mean we couldn't be –"

"Don't be silly."

"You're not my soul mate – my one." Scoffing, Kurt's eyes dart around the office.

"Yeah, I like guys, anyway."

Kurt glares at him, but the feeling of dread keeps him from getting too angry. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to pretend like this never happened because it doesn't change anything. You're just some other guy, and one of our TiMERs is wrong, and that's that," he says, taking deep breaths and balling his fists up. "It'll be _okay_."

"Yeah." With another deep breath, Kurt relaxes a little. "It'll be fine," he repeats and leans back in his chair. He's about to brush it off, when he sees Sebastian tracing his finger along his wrist. "Wait a second…"

"What?"

"I thought you didn't believe in TiMERs," Kurt says, pursing his lips and crossing his arms over his chest. He shakes his head, hoping that somehow just moving it will clear everything up. When it doesn't work, he patiently waits for an answer.

"I don't," Sebastian says as if that explains everything.

"Obviously you do because there's one on your wrist right now."

"I don't even remember getting it."

"How the fuck does that work?" Kurt's chest feels tight as he covers his eyes and sighs. It suddenly seems so silly to think that his whole life has felt like it's been leading up to this point. His throat closes, and his stomach feels heavy with disappointment. When Sebastian's still silent, Kurt drops his hands and glares at Sebastian. "Sebastian…"

"I was drunk, okay?" Sebastian slides his hands into his pocket and huffs. "Some guy took me there."

Kurt pinches the bridge of his nose. "Well, he messed up."

"Why does it even matter? I'm not planning on following what this silly… thing tells me to do. Just because it thinks we're meant to be soul mates." Sebastian scoffs and rubs the back of his head.

"Well, I'm not planning on listening to it either." He stares down at his wrist, and his eyes sting. For his entire life, he's counted on this moment to save him from loneliness. It was what reassured him when he broke up with Blaine. Maybe Blaine wasn't the one, but someone out there was.

If he'd known that Sebastian was going to be that one, he never would have broken up with Blaine. Suddenly everything that Sebastian's said about TiMERs makes sense. He's based his whole life around something that let him down.

"You okay?" Sebastian's voice is quiet and cautious, and he sounds like he's afraid of upsetting Kurt even more. Kurt looks up at him and nods.

"I'm fine. It's just…" For a moment, Kurt debates explaining his fear to Sebastian. What if he doesn't end up with someone else? What if everything ends up with their soul mates, and he ends up all alone? Instead, Kurt just shakes his head. "Never mind. It's stupid anyway."

Sebastian looks uncomfortable, but he still forces a smile on his face. "Well, obviously." He scoffs, but even that doesn't sound quite as sincere anymore.

"I can't believe you let some guy do this to you," Kurt says with a groan.

"Either way, it wouldn't have changed your soul mate. You'd have ended up with me or with a blank TiMER your whole life," Sebastian says, shrugging. "No use worrying over something you can't change."

"Well, I rather would have had it stay blank." As soon as it's out, Kurt realizes how harsh it sounds. He sees Sebastian's jaw tighten and his expression turn cold.

Sebastian lets out a huff and purses his lips. "Fine. Your life. It's not like I care." He clears his throat, and Kurt's stomach drops.

"I didn't mean to –"

"Are we going to work or not?"

KSKSKSKS

"So, wait, let me get this straight… Sebastian is your soul mate?" Rachel's eyes are wide, and she leans back in her chair before smoothing down her dress.

"We've gone over this five times. Yes, Sebastian Smythe is my –" Kurt stands up, pushing his chair back as he does so. "It doesn't matter. I'll find someone else. I'll figure it out."

"But you've always wanted to find your One. You've been waiting for years."

"Yes, but I'm not going to be with Sebastian. That would be ridiculous. He's…" Kurt pauses to think of the right word, and Rachel leans forward.

"Kind of cute."

"Thank you so much for the support. I knew I could count on you," Kurt's deadpans, his voice heavy with sarcasm as he glares at Rachel. She continues looking up at Kurt for a moment before shrugging and falling back again.

"I mean, it's true. You have to admit that much. Besides, I thought you two were getting along better."

"No. I mean, a little, but then he was an ass anyway, and I definitely don't like him like this."

"Well, it's not his fault that you two got put together."

"It's his fault for going to get his TiMER," Kurt says, pouting. He leans his head down on the table and groans. "I should have just stuck with Blaine."

"There's no use thinking about that now. It's not going to help."

Kurt lifts his head up to look at Rachel. "But if I had, I wouldn't have to worry about this, and he wouldn't have his stupid-ass –"

"Enough!" Rachel crosses her arms over her chest as she glares at Kurt. "There's no use complaining about it now. Sebastian's your one, and if both of you decide not to accept that, it's your own choice. I want what's best for you, Kurt, and maybe you should give him a chance."

Kurt opens his mouth to say something, but when he can think of no response, he just ends up shutting it again. He lets out a huff and slides back down in his chair. Part of him knows that what Rachel is saying is right, but he can't help but be angry. He's spent so long looking forward to this one moment, and now that image of a happily ever after doesn't seem so easy.

"Look, I feel you. I really do." Rachel's voice is gentler. She stands up and moves over to Kurt, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I understand that it sucks. TiMERs are stupid, but you're going to either have to accept this or move on with your life and find someone else."

"And if this was happening to you," Kurt starts, "are you telling me that you wouldn't throw a fit?"

Rachel just ruffles Kurt's hair. "I never said that." She gives Kurt a toothy grin and walks away. Kurt drops his head back down on the table with a groan.

KSKSKSKS

"I got offered a job to continue working as a model here. I'd get more money," Sebastian says, continuing to work on his calculus homework. Tapping his pencil at the desk, he continues looking down at the problem he's working on.

"Oh?" Kurt asks.

"Yeah, I need the money."

"Don't your parents pay for everything?"

"Most everything. I still have an avid night life to pay off, but I get paid to look attractive, and it's not like I'm doing that much."

"I've noticed," Kurt grumbles, pursing his lips and erasing a bit of his design. Isabelle had asked him to work on another outfit, though, this time, without a model.

"Anyway, I'd be working with you again."

Kurt's hand stops, and he drops his pencil. "No."

"I said yes."

"Are you kidding me, Smythe?"

"Are we back to Smythe now?" Sebastian asks, raising his eyebrows. "I thought we were past acting like kids."

"You're one to talk," Kurt says with a snort.

"It's not like I want to work with you. I asked Isabelle if I could work with someone else. Trust me, this has nothing to do with our little… discovery."

"You mean, your mistake."

"I didn't do anything wrong. Just because I had a little fun –"

"And got a TiMER," Kurt adds. "Which you weren't going to get in the first place, by the way…"

"So, you rather would have just not known than know it was me?" Sebastian asks.

"We've gone over this. Yes. I would rather just forever wonder than even imagine putting up with you for the rest of my life."

"You sure know how to compliment a guy." Sebastian's lips are a thin line, and his brow furrows, as it always does when he's upset.

As he looks at Sebastian, Kurt can't help but feel a bit guilty. He runs a hand through his hair as his shoulders slump down. "Look, it's not that you're not attractive."

"I know I'm attractive. I don't need you telling me that."

"This is what I'm talking about. I don't care what our TiMERs say, we wouldn't get along together."

"Maybe in an alternate universe," Sebastian agrees.

"I don't understand why you're so offended if you don't want to be with me." There's a small throbbing in his head, and Kurt rubs at his temple.

"People would pay to be with me. I've had them tell me that – literally."

"Please tell me you've never taken them up on that offer," Kurt says, feeling a bit disgusted at the thought.

"I'm not that crazy." Sebastian pushes his chair out, lifting his legs and propping them up, crossed, on the table. Kurt scowls at him, but Sebastian ignore him. "I'm just saying that it's weird having someone not want me. Besides, it makes me feel as if I've lost my charm."

"What charm?" Kurt asks, feeling satisfied as Sebastian glares at him. "Do you want to grab lunch since we're both taking breaks anyway?"

"Sure." Sebastian swings his legs down and grabs his jacket, putting it on.

Kurt grabs his as well, and he slips it on. This sort of interaction between them isn't terrible – Kurt can deal with it. At least they can talk about the TiMERs knowing that neither of them want to act on what it's telling them. Still, a small part of Kurt's frustrated that Sebastian's accepted the job. He wants to talk to Isabelle and tell her that it'd be a terrible idea, but, for whatever reason, she's been firm and committed to the idea of the two of them working together from the start. Kurt slips his hands into his pocket.

"We going?" he asks Sebastian.

Sebastian has his phone out and is texting someone. His brow his furrowed as he looks down at the screen. "What?"

"Are we leaving? Food…"

"Oh, yeah. Right." He slips his phone into his pocket and clears his throat, walking over to the door and holding it open with his foot. "After you, my lady."

"Are the lady jokes ever going to stop?"

"Nope."

"Asshole."

"I can't help it if you don't appreciate my humor," Sebastian says, quirking his eyebrows. "Not my fault you're not funny."

Kurt walks out, glancing down at his phone. He can give a solid hour to lunch and still have plenty of time to finish his work for today. Fixing his jacket, Kurt straightens his posture and sighs.

"You okay?" Sebastian asks.

"Fine. Tired." Kurt reaches up, and his fingers run across his TiMER.

He knows what Rachel said made sense – he has to either accept this or move on, but he doesn't know what he's supposed to do. This was supposed to be his solution, and now he has no clue what to do or who to go to. Part of him hopes that, if he heard, Blaine would change his mind and come running back, but it's not that simple. Blaine's happy with someone else now, and – as much as he hates to admit it – Rachel's right. There's no use worrying about that part of his life. It's over. Blaine's not his to worry about.

Kurt traces the outline of his TiMER, and when he looks up from the pavement to Sebastian, he notices that Sebastian's giving him a weird look. "What?"

"You always do that when you're annoyed or thinking about something," Sebastian says, shrugging. "Like… always."

"So?"

"So what are you thinking about?" Sebastian holds the door to the outside open, though this time he holds back on the lady remark.

"Thanks," Kurt mumbles, walking through. He flips his wrist down, feeling suddenly self-conscious of his habit of playing with his TiMER. He hadn't even known it was a habit. "Nothing."

"Clearly it wasn't 'nothing'. Your cheeks are pink," Sebastian notes, amusement in his voice.

"And?"

"What's troubling the great Hummel?"

"Like you'd care."

"I find it entertaining if nothing else," Sebastian says, winking.

"Whatever." Kurt huffs and slips his hands back in his pockets, staring back down at the pavement.

"You're like a little girl. Look, I understand the whole lost love sucks. Blah, blah, blah, but TiMERs aren't perfect, and it's stupid to keep on worrying about the fact that I'm _your One_." Sebastian throws out his hands, gesturing vaguely and rolling his eyes. "Maybe this'll get you to open your eyes and think for yourself. If you want a relationship, you can't rely on technology to give you a perfect ending. Besides, man up."

"Man up? Is this supposed to be another comment on how I'm a lady?" Kurt asks, pursing his lips.

"No. It's supposed to be a 'wow, I can't believe you're still moping over this' comment."

"I'm not moping," Kurt says, though he can hear the whine in his voice.

Sebastian raises his eyebrows skeptically. "Look, babe, I know your life is hard because you can't find a guy and whatever, but that's not the only thing you need to be worrying about in life. Enjoy it. Fuck someone. Let someone fuck you. Loosen up that tight asshole of yours."

Kurt puffs out his cheeks angrily and shakes his head. "I can't do that."

"No, you won't do it."

"What?"

"You won't," Sebastian explains. "There's a difference, babe." He stops and faces Kurt. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Does Panera work for you?"

"I haven't had their baked potato soup in a while. They'd better have it or this day's going to be ruined."

"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Kurt asks, smiling a bit as he looks over at Sebastian. Sebastian looks just as amused, though he shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm just saying that I'm really looking forward to this baked potato soup. It's kind of amazing."

The light in front of them turns red, and they wait at the corner of the street. Though Sebastian isn't saying anything, the silence between them isn't as bad as it was before. In fact, Kurt would go as far as say that it's comfortable. He looks at the Panera sign just a block down and lets out a slow breath. Maybe Sebastian's right; he just needs to calm down, and everything will be okay.

When the light turns green for them, they cross the street and make their way into the Panera. This time, Kurt holds open the door for Sebastian, and, much to Kurt's surprise, Sebastian doesn't make a snarky comment.

"They have baked potato soup. Crisis averted," Sebastian says, grinning.

KSKSKSKS

Kurt's debating whether or not he should start getting ready for bed when his phone buzzes with a text from Santana. An hour later, he's at a pub, sitting next to her and picking at his sweet potato fries.

"God, I kind of miss McKinley. Is that weird?" Kurt asks, laughing. He takes a sip of his Shirley Temple and Santana shakes her head.

"A bit. I mean, you weren't exactly the head of the food chain, Lady Lips."

With a groan, Kurt's head falls into his hands. "Do you have to call me that?" he asks, continuing to rest his chin on his hand as he looks up at Santana.

Her lips twitch up a bit, but she shrugs. "Habit."

"And anyway, I still had glee club. I miss you guys."

It's true. As much as he's been missing Blaine, Kurt realizes he misses everyone else. He misses everyone from Mercedes to Brittany. Rachel's here, but she's busy, and everything's just different. He would never wish for her to regress to how she was – especially fashion-wise – but he misses having someone to talk to about a failing love life and small problems. Even though they're both at NYADA, most of the time, they aren't even competing. As much as he's glad that he doesn't have to deal with Rachel's diva attitude, he misses the thrill of the competition.

"I thought you always wanted to get to New York. Besides, you're working with Vogue and going to NYADA," Santana says, reaching out and grabbing one of Kurt's chips, dipping it in the salsa before biting into it.

"It's great. It is. I guess it's just… different than what I expected New York to be."

"And what did you expect it to be?"

Glamorous and perfect are the first two words that come to mind, but Kurt knows how ridiculous that would sound. New York City's been the city of his dreams, and yet… "I don't know. Just different."

Based on the way Santana rolls her eyes, Kurt's fairly sure she doesn't believe him. "Alright. Well, L.A. is pretty wonderful." She crosses her legs and nods her head before dipping the other half of the chip into the salsa and eating it.

"Oh?"

"Yup. Ran into Mila Kunis out in a Starbucks." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively, and Kurt groans.

"Not really my type," Kurt says, reaching for another chip as well.

"And Andrew Garfield."

Kurt sits upright, chuckling. "That's more like it. The things I'd do to that man."

"Wanky," Santana says with a wink. "Anyway, speaking of wanky, I noticed your TiMER is at zero."

Kurt reaches down to tug his sleeve lower on his arm as if it can cover up what Santana's already seen. His eyes flicker down to the bit covered on Santana's arm. She's never really cared about her TiMER. Kurt assumes Santana got one since everyone else was. She never seemed interested in finding out what it had to say. She covered it up, but, unlike Kurt, she hadn't ever seemed curious what was underneath.

He flushes and shakes his head. "I did, but it's not important."

"I don't think I've ever met anyone who wanted to find their One as much as you," Santana says. She takes a sip of her drink and looks at Kurt, waiting for him to provide an answer.

"It's this guy I've known for a while. I'm working with him, but he got drunk and ended up getting his TiMER, and – I don't know. It's stupid." Kurt knows it's not the best description, but he wants to avoid talking about it.

"That doesn't sound too terrible."

"He's kind of a pain in the ass," Kurt says, his eyes bouncing around the pub and keeping away from Santana.

"If you don't feel like talking about it, I'm sure Yentl will be willing to tell me all about it," Santana says, shrugging her shoulders.

"Rachel has enough gossip from her end to keep you busy."

"Yeah, I heard she got a boy toy of her own. Good for her." Santana stretches out her hands, waving her fingers in front of Kurt's face. "I mean, she's not the only one having fun. My nails are cut short in case you haven't noticed."

Kurt frowns in disgust. "I hadn't noticed, and I would have preferred keeping it that way."

Santana just rolls her eyes. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I missed you," she says, popping another chip in her mouth.

"Right back at you."


	6. Chapter Five

Kurt decides very quickly that Santana and Rachel together can be a bit annoying. "That boy's not half bad. I mean the popped collar makes him look like a bit of a douche, but I don't see why Hummel won't hit that," Santana says, looking at a picture of Sebastian.

"That's what I'm saying! He needs to let go of the past and move on with his life. You don't know how much he still talks about Blaine. It isn't healthy," Rachel says, nodding her head and giving Santana a serious expression.

"I know. I remember when Kurt Hummel didn't take shit from anyone." Santana's eyes dart over to Kurt, and she crosses her arms over her chest. As Santana raises her eyebrows expectantly, Kurt just huffs and leans back in the couch.

"I hate both of you," he grumbles. "I understand. I need to get out more and move away from Blaine. Blah, blah, blah." He presses his lips together and grabs his tea from the side table.

"I don't know whether you understand, though," Rachel says, pushing away her laptop and turning to Santana for support. Santana nods and runs her hand through her hair.

"Hate to say it, but want-to-be Streisand is right."

"Hey!" Rachel nudges Santana, though she is smiling a little bit.

"Old habits die hard," Santana replies, shrugging her shoulders.

Kurt sips his tea and tries to ignore them. He can feel Rachel's eyes on him, but he fixes his glare in front of him at the wall. He knows that they mean no harm, but he's so tired of listening to everyone try to explain his love life to him. Santana was right before when she said that he needs to move on, but he hates feeling like he's the only one who is lost and confused right now. Kurt slides down on the couch, hoping that the subject will change soon. Sure enough, the little nickname brings about the change Kurt had hoped for.

"So, what about your guy?" Santana asks. "I heard you have one too."

"Oh, Brody's not the one," Rachel says, tapping at her TiMER. "But I'll find that out soon enough. Besides, I really like him. He's fun, and he's kind of amazing in bed."

"They're so loud," Kurt groans. When he buries his head in his hands, he can hear Santana laughing, and he shudders. With his eyes closed, he gets a mental image of Rachel and Brody making out right next to him on the couch. Quickly, he opens his eyes again and straightens up his back.

"Get some, Berry," Santana cheers, grinning. "Sounds exciting. Better than Finn, in any case."

"Finn was –" Rachel stops to try to think about what to say. Her mouth opens before closing again, and she lets out a small hum as she continues thinking.

"Like a sweaty sack of potatoes who couldn't have sex with a damn?" Santana asks.

"I sometimes forget you dated him too."

"I try to forget," Santana says, shaking her head again.

"He wasn't that bad," Rachel says.

"I love him. He's my step-brother and all," Kurt says, shifting over to face Santana and Rachel, "but he can be a bit –"

"Gross to the point that you don't want anything to do with him?" Santana asks.

"Not what I was going to say."

"Oh, I forgot, before Blaine came around, you had a crush on him too."

"That went away ages ago," Kurt says, scowling and burying his head into the pillows. He still feels embarrassed sometimes thinking back to it and how excited he was when Finn moved in. Kurt lifts his face up when he can tell his blush has gone away, but before he can say anything else, his phone lights up.

(9:24)  
_What are you up to, babe?_

Kurt sees the text from Sebastian and picks his phone up off the table to write a text back.

"Who is it?" Santana asks.

"No one."

"I bet that means it's Sebastian," Rachel says.

Kurt lets out a huff and texts back.

(9:25)  
**One of my friends from high school is here, and she and Rachel are both torturing me.**

He gets an immediate reply back.

(9:25)  
_That sounds like fun. Why wasn't I invited?_

(9:26)  
**Gee, thanks. You can come over if you want. Maybe you can save me from them.**

"What'd you say?" Santana asks.

"I –" Kurt's phone lights up, and he sees another text from Sebastian.

(9:27)  
_Hmm, I guess I have nothing better to do. Might as well._

"Sebastian's coming over," Kurt says, and he tosses his phone next to him on the couch.

"So, I get to meet him," Santana says, quirking her eyebrows. "Are you two planning a date?" As she smirks, Kurt shoots her a glare.

"Don't even joke about that." He almost debates telling Sebastian not to come just so that he won't have to deal with their sure-to-come taunting, but he refrains.

"You sure you two lovebirds don't want any privacy?" Santana asks. When Kurt purses his lips and just continues staring her down, she laughs and lifts her hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. I'm just saying, I thought you two weren't even good friends."

"We aren't."

"And he's coming to hang out with us?"

"He texted me, and I needed someone to save me from you two," Kurt says, stretching a hand out over the armrest and running his fingers down the fabric.

"What did I do?" Rachel asks. Her eyebrows shoot up, and she gives Kurt and offended look.

"You're just as guilty of teasing me."

A grin spreads out over Rachel's face, and she laughs. "Well, okay. I guess I can't deny that. So, when's Sebastian coming?"

"I have no clue. He just texted me. I'm guessing another half hour or so." He's not sure exactly how long it will take, but before he can think about it too much longer, there's a knock at his door. Kurt tilts his head to the side. He knows that there's no way Sebastian could have gotten here that quickly. He gets up and opens the door, and, sure enough, Sebastian's standing on the other side, leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"Someone else let me in downstairs." When Kurt keeps on giving him a curious look, Sebastian shrugs. "What? I was in the neighborhood."

"You were in the neighborhood?"

"Are you feeling okay? You're slower than usual," Sebastian says, looking amused.

"This must be Sebastian," Santana says, popping up from behind Kurt. She scans him up and down before nodding in approval. "You didn't mention that he was hot."

"He didn't?" Kurt puts his hand up to his heart as if wounded. "Kurt!"

"I'm sorry. I was too busy remember how you're a complete asshole. It must have slipped my mind."

"That was completely rude and uncalled for," Sebastian says. He turns to Santana and nods. "But, yes, I am hot."

"I see where the arrogance thing comes in too," Santana says.

"It's pretty bad," Kurt agrees, biting back a smile as Sebastian scowls.

"I don't like either of you. You both are mean." Sebastian pouts, pulls his hands from his pockets, and crosses his arms over his chest. Sebastian looks like an angry six year old, and Kurt moves into the apartment again, motioning for Sebastian to come inside. He makes his way over to his couch and sits down again, and Santana moves over next to Rachel again.

"Hello, Sebastian," Rachel says, somewhat coolly. Kurt can't blame her. Kurt knows he spent a long time bad-mouthing him. Rachel's heard more than an earful, and it's not like he's bothered correcting the things he's said about Sebastian since them. All of them are true. Sebastian is arrogant, vain, and self-absorbed, but, somehow, Kurt doesn't mind it as much.

He's so caught up in thinking about it that he doesn't notice that everyone's looking at him until Rachel calls his name again.

"Huh?" he asks, glancing around.

"Babe, you're a little spacy," Sebastian says, nudging Sebastian.

"Babe?" Santana asks.

"He insists on using that stupid nickname."

"If it makes you feel any better, it's not only for you. I've called hundreds of men 'babe' throughout my life."

Kurt just sighs and ignores Sebastian before turning to Rachel again. "What did you want?"

"Sebastian was asked whether you'd made any more progress on what you guys are doing for Vogue," Santana answers.

"You mean what I'm doing for Vogue…" Kurt nudges Sebastian. "You just sit around and do nothing."

"Excuse me. I'm the one looking fabulous in those clothes. You just… do the rest," Sebastian says.

"Yeah, yeah." Kurt rolls his eyes but smiles. "But it's going well. Oh! Would you like tea or coffee or something?" He motions over at his tea. "We were drinking a bit, and I forgot to ask."

"Do you have anything stronger?"

"Than coffee?" Kurt asks.

"Like alcohol…" Sebastian continues. "If you don't mind…"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Kurt says, looking around.

"Why not? Let's celebrate. This is, after all, a special occasion," Santana says.

"It is?" Rachel asks.

"Well, I'm meeting Kurt's future husband."

Kurt and Sebastian both start making noises of protest at the same time, and Sebastian makes a gagging sound. They fling out their arms and move away from each other as if they will somehow make it happen if they're sitting too close. Santana and Rachel burst out laughing, and Santana looks pleased with herself. As she sits up straighter, Kurt huffs.

"I really hate you sometimes," Kurt says, standing up to grab the wine bottle. He brings it back, and Sebastian shakes his head and gets up.

"No. Something else." He makes his way over to the kitchen, and Kurt follows him, rolling his eyes.

"Why, _yes_, Sebastian. Of course you can go into my kitchen and raid the fridge," he says as Sebastian opens the refrigerator.

"Always happy to oblige," Sebastian says, snapping his fingers and pointing them at Kurt. He pulls back after a moment and pouts. "Do you not have lime or mint or crème de cacao or anything good?" Holding an open hand at Kurt's fridge, Sebastian pouts. "I'm disappointed."

"Believe it or not, but we don't make cocktails daily."

"You're missing out," Sebastian says.

"I think I like this guy," Santana comments, laughing.

"Thank you. At least someone appreciates me." Sebastian pulls out their cranberry and orange juice and sets it on the counter. "I suppose a Madras will have to do."

"A man after my heart," Santana says.

Kurt looks over at Rachel, expecting to see her angry. She's not overly fond of people touching their things, but she seems fine with Sebastian making a cocktail. Her head cranes over and she watches as Sebastian mixes the drinks together.

"Rach, you drinking too?" Kurt asks, even though he already knows the answer.

"Yup."

After grabbing four glasses, Kurt makes his way over to Sebastian and sets them on the counter. Sebastian neatly pours them into each glass, filling it to the top.

"Isn't that a bit much?" he asks, sucking in his lips. Sebastian has already seen him drunk once, and he's not sure he wants a repeat.

"It'll be fine. Just drink up. Really, we might as well have some fun if we're going to drink."

When Santana cheers, Kurt lets out a sigh and nods his head. He grabs two of the glasses and sets them down in front of Santana and Rachel before going back to grab their own. After he and Sebastian make their way to the counter by Rachel and Santana, they all clink glasses and take a sip.

"So, how do you like it?" Sebastian asks, giving Kurt a smug look. It's delicious. The juice mostly manages to cover up the taste of the vodka, and it's sweet and sour. Of course, he's not about to admit that to Sebastian.

"It's okay, I guess," he says, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, shush. You love it."

"You're pushing it, Smythe," Kurt says as they make their way back over to the couch. He moves his tea to the side and sits back down.

"So, Sebastian, Kurt didn't say much about you other than that you two have your little TiMER thing going on. What do you do?"

"Other than sex, drugs, and rock and roll?" Sebastian asks, grinning at his own, corny joke. The joke falls flat, and Santana just skeptically raises her eyebrows and nods. "I'm majoring in psychology."

"Any plans on what you want to do afterwards?" Santana asks.

"Either a clinical or forensic psychologist."

It isn't until he's nodding along as well that Kurt realizes that this is the first time he's heard this. Of course, he's never questioned that Sebastian has a life outside of their work in the office. Kurt's even seen him work on homework several times. Yet he realizes he's never asked what he's doing or where he's studying.

"NYU?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah. It's great. Love it. I was going to go into law at first, and I'm glad I didn't. Not my cup of tea. More my parents'."

Kurt sips at his drink and looks at Sebastian. Sebastian takes another two gulps from his drink, downing it and setting the glass down. He looks at the empty glass for a moment before moving back over to the fridge to make himself another.

"I don't think I knew that you were doing psychology," Rachel says.

"Yeah, I don't know whether Kurt even knew." Sebastian turns to face Kurt before asking, "Did you, babe?" with a little wink. Kurt frowns as he hears Santana chuckling again.

"No, I didn't. I don't know how that didn't come up."

"You were too busy worrying about your TiMER," Sebastian says, shrugging and taking another sip of his drink. Kurt looks down at his own drink and takes a few more sips as well.

Sebastian makes his way back to the couch and stretches his shoulders and neck. "Anyway, psychology it is. Oh, and let me know if you want any more to drink."

"It's not that complicated," Kurt says. "Just some orange juice, cranberry juice, and vodka."

"But it's the amount of each that you put in that makes it taste good. If you mess up on that, you fuck up the whole drink." Sebastian props his legs up on the table, and Kurt swats them.

"No." He points a finger at Sebastian, who just laughs.

"It's not that big of a deal. I'm not going to scuff up your table."

"Down." When Kurt continues glaring at Sebastian and giving him, what he hopes is, a menacing look, Sebastian puts his legs down.

They carry on a conversation for another while. Kurt's two and a half drinks in when he really starts feeling the effects. It's been a long few days, and he's falling asleep, drifting in and out of the conversation. He feels hot, and his head feels heavy. After unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, he looks over at Sebastian and leans into his shoulder.

"You okay?"

Kurt's eyes open, and he looks up drowsily at Sebastian. "'M fine. Tired."

"Okay…" Sebastian taps Kurt's nose before looking back up. Belatedly, Kurt goes to swat it away and whines when he taps his nose instead. It only takes another minute for him to fall into a light sleep.

He's not sure how long he's asleep, but he's woken up by Sebastian gently shaking him. He whines, trying to ignore it. Though he doesn't remember his dream, he knows it was nice, and he's trying to fall back asleep hoping that it'll continue where it left off. Instead, Sebastian tickles his stomach, and Kurt lets out a squeak.

When he opens his eyes, everything is a bit blurry. His head feels woozy, and his eyelids keep on shutting. He can tell Sebastian's saying something to him because every time his eyes open, he can see Sebastian's lips moving. He nods his head and blinks a few times before managing to open his eyes completely.

"Bas…" Kurt's hands reach out, and he holds onto Sebastian to stay upright. "Where did Santana and Rachel go?" he looks around and yawns.

"Rachel went to get the air mattress together for Santana. It's four AM, so we're staying here for the night. I'm sleeping on the couch."

"You can sleep with me. I don't mind. You did it before," Kurt says, rubbing at his eyes.

"I think it's better if I sleep on the couch," Sebastian says, chuckling.

Kurt pouts. Truth be told, he feels like cuddling up against someone, but, even tired, Kurt doesn't want to admit that to Sebastian. "Fine." Kurt runs a hand through his hair and stretches his back backwards. When he looks up, he sees Sebastian staring at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You just – Nothing. I must have had a lot to drink."

"What?" Kurt's confused, but he doesn't know what really to say. "Okay…" He stares at Sebastian, waiting for a response. When Sebastian doesn't say anything else, they both stare at each other for a moment. Sebastian's hand drop from his waist, and Kurt looks down. Sebastian's shirt is ruffled and riding up, exposing a little bit of his stomach.

Kurt's eyes slowly look up Sebastian's frame, taking in how disheveled he looks. Kurt can't help but think he looks –

Fuckable is the first word that comes to mind, and Kurt swallows, feeling dizzy. He grabs Sebastian for support and tumbles forward a bit, their noses bumping. Kurt's eyes go wide, and his breath catches in his throat. As he starts pulling away, Sebastian's hand darts up and moves to the back of his neck, drawing him back in.

Sebastian's fingers weave into his hair tighten around it as Sebastian presses their lips together. With a small gasp, Kurt leans in and his lips fall open. Without hesitation, Sebastian's tongue swipes across his lower lip before flicking against Kurt's. Kurt's barely awake enough to respond, but he lets out a small whimper as his hands reach out again. His left one falls to Sebastian's waist, squeezing lightly as his right goes up to Sebastian's jaw. Tracing along it with his thumb, Kurt glances up to see that Sebastian's eyes are half-lidded with desire.

It isn't until they topple down onto the couch that Kurt even realizes that he's been leaning forward. Sebastian's hands fall from Kurt's hair, and they travel down to his shirt, slipping underneath and riding up his back. When Sebastian pulls back, his lips are swollen, and he's breathing heavily. Kurt's heart is pounding as he stares at Sebastian in shock. There's no doubt that his cheeks are red. In fact, his entire body feels hot and tense.

Kurt's about to lean back in when he hears footsteps. He scrambles up into a sitting position and runs his fingers through his hair to make sure it isn't messy. Sebastian sits up as well and licks his lips.

"Wow, you got him awake. I'm impressed," Rachel says. "Usually he's hard to wake up when he's like this." She has several blankets in her hands, and she sets them down on the table.

"Guess I have a special talent for it."

"Those blankets should be enough, but let me know if you need anything else."

Before Rachel can leave the two of them alone again, Kurt gets up, muttering 'good night' to both of them as he makes his way to his room. The entire time he's getting out of his clothes and brushing his teeth, the kiss replays in his head. Part of him wants to say that it never happened and to attribute it to his drowsiness, but he can't do that.

When Kurt finally lays down and falls asleep, he can't shake that uneasy feeling.

KSKSKSKS

When Kurt wakes up, it takes him a while to remember last night's events. Judging by the sound of people talking in the kitchen, he can guess that Sebastian's still here. It's not like he's ever kissed anyone before, and, while he knows it's a mistake, he doesn't know how Sebastian feels about it or if this changes things between them.

Kurt drags himself out of bed, dreading going to the kitchen. As he makes his way out, he decides not to say anything. Since Sebastian was the one to kiss him, he can be the one to bring it up. Sure enough, Sebastian's in the kitchen, coffee pot in hand.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Sebastian says, smirking at Kurt. "You look like a hot mess."

Kurt grumbles quietly, avoiding Sebastian's eyes as he walks across the kitchen.

"You okay, Kurt?" Rachel asks.

"Fine."

"Coffee?" Sebastian asks. "I made some for everyone."

"This boy is God-sent," Santana chimes in. "If you weren't gay…"

"Trust me. If I wasn't gay, I would have pounced on you the moment I waked in here," Sebastian says, winking at Santana.

"Wanky."

As Sebastian hands him the coffee, Kurt looks up. There's nothing different in Sebastian's expression. He doesn't look any smugger nor does he look confused. It's as if nothing happened last night.

"You really aren't a morning person, are you?" Sebastian asks.


End file.
